Lei Weng piano

“Astonishing beauty and sensitivity.” Claude Frank

Lei Weng was born in Tianjin, China.  He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, under the direction of Professor Zhou GuangRen and Guo ZhiHong. Lei Weng received his Master’s degree of music from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, studying with William Black. Weng is currently pursuing a doctorate under the tutelage of Frank Weinstock at the Cincinnati Conservatory.

Lei Weng began piano studies at age seven and was performing just a year later. Between the age of 12 and 16 he received several major prizes in China: the Tianjin Youth Piano Competition (1st prize), the Chinese Major Cities Youth Piano Competition (1st prize), the First China National Piano Competition (4th prize), and the Honor Award issued by the Chinese Ministry of Culture. By age 18, he had performed and given recitals throughout China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Tianjin, Shenyang and SiChuan. He has performed with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra, the China Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Chorus of the China National Symphony Orchestra.

Since Lei Weng’s arrival in the United States in 1999, he has won the top prize at the Isabel Scionti International Piano Solo Competition, third prize in the Piano Concerto Competition of the Kingsville International Competition (2001, Texas), first prize in the Camerata Piano Competition (2002, Indiana); the Silver Medal of the Wideman Piano Competition (2002, Louisiana), first prize at the Tuesday Musical Club Scholarship Competition (2002, Ohio) and a prize at the Grace Welsh International Piano Competition (Chicago, Illinois).

His recital appearances in the US include the Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago, the Phillips Collection in Washington DC, the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in Cincinnati, Indiana University in Bloomington, the Aronoff center in Cincinnati and the Shreveport Civic Theatre in Louisiana. Concerto performances with orchestra include the Fort Worth Symphony with Geoffrey Simon, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra with Dennis Simons and the Camerata Symphony Orchestra with Steven Smith. A personal interview with Lei Weng was featured in the NPR News in February 2003. The Vital Sound label released his CD of the Brahms sonatas for violin and piano in February 2004.

Lei Weng has worked with some of the most distinguished and internationally renowned teachers, performing pianists and instrumentalists, including Cho-Liang Lin, Jerome Lowenthal, Claude Frank, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Jon Nakamatsu, James Tocco, Solomon Mikovsky and Andre Laplante.

This season, his engagements include a solo recital at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC, the three Brahms piano and violin sonatas at the Wyoming Fine Art Center and recitals in Cincinnati, Oxford and Xavier University.

“…He fully served the colorful and flamboyant score. There can be no doubt of his proficiency.”                <Herald Times> Bloomington IN. January 28, 2003

“Fabulous playing—really fresh, personal! …I love the unpredictability, the willingness to take chances, not just to sound like someone else. Lovely shaping of phrases.”          <Dallas Morning News> June 3, 2004

 “…Weng totally owns the stormier passions of this hurricane of a concerto [Rachmaninoff Third]”            <Star-Telegram> Forth Worth, June 22, 2004